The National Jewish Democratic Council today condemned Reps. Steve King (R-IA) and Louis Gohmert (R-TX) amid reports that the Republicans will host noted bigot Geert Wilders in Washington later this week. The organization called on the invitation to be revoked and for Reps. King and Gohmert to apologize to the Muslim community.

“In his role as leader of the Freedom Party in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders has shown himself to be an unapologetic bigot who has demonized millions for no other reason than their religion. It would be bad enough that Reps. King and Gohmert allow Wilders, who has proven to be a xenophobic individual, to even attend their event, but to actively invite him is beyond the pale. As the Anti-Defamation League has noted, Wilders has compared Islam to Nazism, called the Qur'an ‘even worse than Mein Kampf,’ and has even been arrested on numerous occasions for hate speech. We join with the ADL in calling upon Reps. King and Gohmert to rescind the invitation at once and to apologize for this offense, and we hope that Republican Party leaders will take a firm stand against hatred and bigotry.”